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In an attempt to bolster its plus-sized clothing offering, Sears Canada announced Thursday it will begin carrying apparel from the Penningtons clothing line later this year.

It’s part of a new initiative that will see 4,000-square-foot shops established inside select Sears stores with a focus on plus-sized clothing. Some apparel will be the more “traditional” clothing already offered by Sears, but most will be the more stylish but affordable Penningtons, said Calvin McDonald, president and chief executive of Sears Canada Inc.

“Penningtons … goes after a segment we don’t serve well today and, we think, within our mall locations nobody serves well today,” McDonald said. “So we think it trades off of the strength of our locations, continues to focus on the customer we’re trying to grow with, and will really drive a better balance of sales within the stores.”

Penningtons, which is a banner under Reitmans Canada Ltd., has 156 stores in Canada, said Jeremy Reitman, chairman and chief executive. They’re looking to “thrive” off Sears’ mall traffic.

“Our customer profile … fits square on their customer profile, so it should work out for both of us,” he said.

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Beginning in late September, a selection of Penningtons clothing will be available both online at sears.ca and at five Sears locations, including those at the Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket and the Eaton Centre in Toronto.

This to intended be a long-term partnership, McDonald said. In 2014, the brand is expected to appear in the Sears spring general catalogue and in several more stores. Those decisions will be based in part on the size of the store and on customer response.

Reitmans also owns operates the Addition Elle banner, another retailer serving the plus-size demographic but with higher-priced clothing.

Wendy Evans, retail consultant and founder of Evans and Co. Consultants Inc., said she believes this partnership will afford visibility to Penningtons while allowing Sears to better monetize its floor space.

“In the department store sector, the specialty sizes have become more and more important, and plus-size is a growing percentage of the business,” she said. “To add to that selection would be to have a broader range for consumers, and (have) a brand name there.”

Note - July12, 2013:
This article was edited from a previous version.

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